Moisturise with aloe vera this dry season

Although many people are aware of the medicinal benefits of aloe vera, they are yet to incorporate its use into their daily lifestyle.

Aloe vera is a succulent and mucilaginous plant that can grow up to 40 inches in height. Without a stem, its green leaves resemble blades or a sword coming out from a central point. These thick and heavy leaves contain the precious healing gel that provides the medicinal uses of aloe vera. The leaves are notched with small white points. Their orange flowers bloom in the summertime.

This “plant of immortality,” as affectionately dubbed by the Egyptians 6,000 years ago, gained its popularity when Queen Cleopatra applied the gel to her body as part of her beauty regimen. The ancient Greeks also used it to cure everything from baldness to insomnia.

Aloe vera is popularly touted as the go-to-moisturiser effect and the dry season is the best time to get the most of this miraculous plant especially those with dry skin.

How aloe vera works on the skin

Since the windy and dry weather saps up a lot of the moisture in the skin leaving it dry, Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. Seyi Ajetunmobi, says the water content in aloe vera makes it the perfect plant to replace the water that has been lost.

“During dry season, the skin tends to get drier and loses its elasticity. This makes it more susceptible to wrinkles and fine lines. Aloe moisturises the skin, and it helps to remove dead cells. In fact, research has proven that aloe vera improves the elasticity of skin and makes it smoother.”

Be it sunburn or a bad case of acne, aloe vera is a treatment you can always rely on. It is even used in the burn units of some hospitals. However, beyond the emergencies and immediate medicinal uses of aloe vera, it can be added to other ingredients to make soap, facial toners, scrubs and masks, after-shave, mists, lip balm, salve, tinctures, washes, creams and astringents.

Herbal practitioners use aloe vera juice to treat skin irritations such as ringworm, acne, bedsores, insect bites, skin burns, wounds and skin rashes. It is also effective in treating psoriasis and eczema, as well as in removing dark spots and reducing pigmentation, according to All4NaturalHealth.com. It stimulates collagen and elastin in removing stretch marks and pimples.

Aloe vera gel can be directly extracted from the plant and applied to your skin. Alternatively, there are plenty of ready-to-use aloe gels available in the market. But if you are opting for them, make sure that the aloe vera gel in it constitutes between 90 and 100 per cent of the product.

Immunity

Scientists say this wonder plant can do more than healing skin burns or cuts. From its leaf to the gel inside it, aloe vera has miraculous health benefits for those who know how to use it in their daily life.

Aloe vera juice contains carrisyn, which is known for aiding the production of infection-fighting blood cells, thus strengthening the immune system, says American Chronicle. The juice contains vitamins and minerals that boost the body’s immunity.

They say that its juice is rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids. According to the American Chronicle website, drinking just two to four ml of aloe vera juice a day is all one needs to reap its many health benefits.

The scientists state that aloe vera juice has at least six natural antiseptics, which are able to kill mold, bacteria, funguses, and viruses.

This plant according to the scientists has potentials to cure killer diseases like HIV/AIDS and cancer.

While various researches are ongoing on the potency of this plant that has been dubbed to cure more than 40 disease conditions, we give you more proven medicinal benefits of this plant;

Digestion

According to All4NaturalHealth.com, proponents believe aloe vera juice enhances digestive function by improving the digestive tracts ability to efficiently absorb nutrients. American Chronicle claims that aloe vera juice has anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties that aid in preventing infection. The juice may also provide relief from diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion, heartburn, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome and may cleanse the colon.

Detoxification

Aloe vera juice reportedly detoxifies the body by improving blood circulation and promoting blood cell growth, says All4NaturalHealth.com. The amino acids serine threonine, methionine and molybdeym contained in the juice simultaneously detoxify heavy metals and improve the metabolism of fat, carbohydrates and protein. It also prevents fat from accumulating in the arteries and liver.

Weight control

The high collagen protein content of aloe vera makes it an effective weight loss aid, reports American Chronicle. Drinking the juice daily boosts the metabolism by forcing it to burn extra energy to absorb this protein, thus stimulating weight loss and muscle development.

In everything, one must exercise caution; the potential side effects of drinking aloe vera juice come from its abuse. The adverse effects of drinking aloe vera gel naturally include low potassium levels, fluid imbalance, abdominal cramps and severe diarrhoea.

NB: Children, women, who are menstruating, pregnant or trying to conceive need not drink aloe vera juice, as their stomach cannot tolerate it.

PUNCH.